In a significant legal mandate, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has ordered Former President Maithripala Sirisena to fulfill his compensation obligations to the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks by August 30, 2024. This order comes in the wake of a January 2023 ruling that found Sirisena guilty in relation to the attacks and required him to pay Rs. 100 million in compensation to the claimants.
The 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, executed by suicide bombers from the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat—affiliated with ISIS—resulted in over 270 deaths. The attackers targeted three churches and three luxury hotels in a coordinated strike. Subsequently, eleven rights petitioners initiated legal action under Article 126 of the Sri Lankan Constitution, alleging fundamental rights violations due to the authorities’ inaction.
Declassified intelligence reports disclosed that Indian agencies had provided Sri Lankan authorities with detailed and actionable intelligence, including attackers’ names and their plans, weeks prior to the attacks. However, the court noted a significant lapse in response, describing it as a negligent failure to protect citizens. The petitioners argued that these omissions betrayed public trust and failed to address credible intelligence warnings that could have prevented the tragedy.
As per the Supreme Court’s directives, Sirisena, along with other officials, was required to disburse the compensation sum to the victims’ families. Despite his lawyers’ request for an additional six years to settle the outstanding amount, citing that Rs. 58 million had already been paid, this appeal was rejected. Sirisena is now required to complete the payment by the stipulated deadline. For more details on the court’s ruling, visit News First.